A new study showing deaths from rectal cancer are rising sharply among younger adults in their 30s and 40s — a troubling trend that researchers in a recent study say is not fully understood — is an important reminder for New Hampshire to include screening in their regular checkups.

The study, published March 2 in the American Cancer Society journal, found colorectal cancers — once more common in older adults — are increasingly diagnosed in younger people and are often more advanced at detection.

Colorectal cancer includes both colon and rectal cancer. In New Hampshire, 31.9 in 100,000 people were diagnosed from 2018 to 2022, according to the researchers’ analysis of federal health data. Death rates from 2019 to 2023 were 10.9 in 100,000 people.

Researchers said rectal cancer deaths could surpass colon cancer deaths by 2035 if current trends continue. Colorectal cancer is already the leading cause of cancer death among Americans under 50, with mortality in that group rising about 1% per year even as death rates decline among older adults, particularly those 65 and older.

Rectal tumors now account for about one-third of all colorectal cancer diagnoses, up from roughly one-quarter in earlier decades, indicating a growing share of the overall burden. Overall incidence has declined slightly, driven by a roughly 2.5% annual drop among adults 65 and older, but it is rising in younger groups—about 3% per year among those ages 20 to 49 and 0.4% annually among those 50 to 64. As a result, nearly half of new cases now occur in people under 65, up from about a quarter in the mid-1990s.

See also: AG: ‘Certain Issues…Warrant Further Review’ Of North Country Healthcare

Researchers estimate 158,850 new colorectal cancer cases and 55,230 deaths nationwide in 2026, with about 45% of diagnoses and nearly one-third of deaths expected in people younger than 65.

The reasons for the rise in younger adults remain unclear. Researchers point to possible links to diet, obesity, environmental exposures and other lifestyle factors, as well as changes in the gut microbiome.

See also: Botulism Risk On Certain Lots Of ByHeart Whole Nutrition Infant Formula, NH DHHS Says

As these generations age, the burden of rectal cancer “will continue to swell like a tsunami moving through time, underscoring an urgent need for etiologic research to discover the cause of rising incidence,” the researchers said.

BOSTON – According to a release from the Massachusetts Department of Justice, six individuals have been indicted by a federal grand jury in Boston for their alleged roles in a drug trafficking conspiracy that involved shipments of packages containing kilograms of cocaine and fentanyl from California for further distribution in Massachusetts:

1. Edwal Vargas, a/k/a “Max,” 34, of Swampscott, Mass., was indicted on one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances; one count of money laundering conspiracy; and one count of possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and 50 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine;
2. Yanivel Gomez, a/k/a “Ashley,” 31, of Peabody, Mass., was indicted on one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances and one count of money laundering conspiracy;
3. George Salvatore Landingham, 33, of North Andover, Mass., was indicted on one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances and one count of possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and 50 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine;
4. Stephanie Tejeda, 33, of Hudson, N.H., was indicted on one count of money laundering conspiracy;
5. Tyrone Shepherd, 41, of Chestnut Hill, Mass., was indicted on one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances; and
6. Gustavo Tavares, 44, of Studio City, Calif., was indicted on one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances; and one count of money laundering conspiracy.

According to the charging documents, more than 260 UPS packages were shipped from California to various addresses in Massachusetts by members of the conspiracy. It is alleged that several of those packages were seized during the investigation and found to contain approximately 12 kilograms of cocaine and a kilogram of fentanyl.

The charge of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances provides for a sentence of at least 10 years in prison, five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $10 million. The charge of money laundering conspiracy provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $500,000. The charge of possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and 50 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine provides for a sentence of at least 10 years in prison, five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $10 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah Foley; Jarod Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; and Jason Buckley, Acting Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Boston Division made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney K. Nathaniel Yeager of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit is prosecuting the case.

This case was investigated and prosecuted by the Boston Homeland Security Task Force as part of Operation Take Back America.

The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The defendants are presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in the court of law.